Deep-sea electric telephone cable



y 935. E. SICHTERMANN 2,000,355

DEEP SEA ELECTRIC TELEPHONE CABLE Filed April 15, 1933 Jn venfor fi/Muda 7/ Patented May 7, 1935 PATENT OFFICE DEEP-SEA ELECTRIC TELEPHONE CABLE Eugen Slchtermann, Rodenkirchen; near Cologne, Germany Application April 15, 1933, Serial No. 666,861

3 Claims.

My invention relates to deep-sea electric telephone cables whlch are made of a plurality of strands assembled to a solid rope-like body, the said strands having on their joint surfaces restrictions which form channels holding the conductors and the papers for the insulation of the said conductors and including moreover sulllcient free space forthe necessary insulating air. My invention relates more particularly to deep-sea electric telephone cables of the class referred to in which the said strands consist of rubber or gutta percha-or of any other insulating material offering very great resistance to a reduction in volume by pressure on all'sides. The primary object of my invention qoneistsin augmenting the flexibility and in decreasing the weight of such cables by securing the same against the bad influence of one-sided pressure occuring especially during the laying of the-cables, the said bad influence consisting in contractions of the channels and in disturbances' of the air-insulation of the conductors arising in consequence of said contractions. Other objects of'my invention will be apparent from the following specification of preferred embodiments of my invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a cross-section of a cable consisting of six strands of rubber having joint surfaces provided with interlocking teeth or projectlons, on which joint surfaces the channels for the conductors are provided.

Figs. 2 and 3 are cross-sections of cables similar with the embodiment according to Fig. 1 but consisting each only of four strands of rubber.

Fig. 4 is a cross-section of a cable in which the channels for the conductors are formed between four strands of rubber, each of which strands is T-shaped in cross-section.

Fig. 5 is a cross-section of a cable consisting of three strands of rubber, two of which are T- shaped in cross-section, and one of which is double T-shaped in cross-section to form the channels for the conductors between them.

According to Fig. 1 the cable consists of six strands 5 of rubber or gutta percha offering great resistance to a reduction in volume by pressure on all sides. On the joint surfaces of the said strands niches or groove-like recesses 6 are provided which through adjacency to the other joint surfaces form the channels for the conductors I which in this case consist each of a single wire wrapped with paper. The said paper-wrapped conductors are surrounded by air-spaces a reduction'of which under the influence of the water pressure is avoided by the strands of rubber or gutta percha offering great resistance to a reduction in volume by presure on all sides. The cable is encompassed by a lead sheathing 8 to prevent a soaking of water into the channels. This arrangement offers the possibility of embedding into the interior of the rubber strands naked wires 9 which serve for telegraphing. A joggle joining between adjacent strands oll'ers security against a relative displacement of one strand to another under the influence of one-sided pressure.

Figs. 2 and 3 show cables each of which is made of four strands l0. Each strand is provided on the one side with two steps ll, [2 and on the other side with a niche or groove-like recess, so that channels I3 are formed into which the conductors I are loosely embedded. This cable is also encompassed by a lead sheathing I5. According to Fig. 2 the four strands are adjoining in the centre of the cable, but according to Fig. 3 only two oppositely arranged strands are adjoining in the centre of the cable, whereas the two other strands lean upon the first-mentioned two strands.

Fig. 4 shows an especially simple embodiment of my invention. The cable is made of four strands of T-shaped cross-section. The oppositely arranged strands I6, I 6 and I1, I! are of the same cross-section. Between the said strands channels ll! of square cross-section are formed into which channels the conductors 2| are embedded. A joggle joining between adjacent strands may in this case be dispensed with, as a one-sided pressure in the direction of the arrow 22 from the strand [6 towards the strand H is taken up by the surfaces I9, 20, and a onesided pressure in the direction of the arrow 23 is taken up by the surfaces 24, 25, so that also in this case a displacement of one strand to another is avoided. The cable is encompassed by a lead sheathing 26.

Fig. 5 shows another simple embodiment of my invention. The cable is made of three strands two of which strands 21, 21 being oppositely arranged are of the same T-shaped cross-section. The third strand 28 is of a double T-shaped crosssection. By this arrangement the assembling of the strands is further simplified and the price of the cable further reduced. The conductors may consist of single wires or may consist each of two or of four wires as shown in Fig. 5. For the purpose of securing the conductors against moisture soaking in at leakiness of the lead sheathing 30, the paper-wrapped conductors are preferably encased in lead tubes 3|. A crushing of the thin lead tubes during the assembling of the strands may be obviated by previously enveloping the conductors by hoses of rubber or gutta percha or by wrapping the said conductors up with small hollow ropes 32 of vulcanized rubber or gutta percha before the lead tubes are pressed over.

In the described embodiments the strands of which the cable is made and the channels for the conductors are arranged in such a way that through a one-sided pressure on the strands no contraction of the channels and in consequence thereof no disturbance of the air insulation of the conductors can take place.

I claim:

1. A deep-sea electric telephone cable consisting of a plurality of conductors wrapped in paper and of three strands consisting of an insulating material offering great resistance to a reduction in volume by pressure on all sides, two of said strands being T-shaped and the third strand being double-T-shaped, such strands being shaped and arranged one to another to leave four channels between them holding the conductors and leaving moreover sufificient free air space.

2. A deep-sea electric telephone cable conand arranged one to another to leave four channels between them, and lead tubes tightly fitted into said channels, said lead tubes holding the conductors and leaving moreover sufficient free air-space.

3. A deep-sea electric telephone cable consisting of a plurality of conductors wrapped in paper, three strands of an insulating material ofi'ering great resistance to a reduction in volume by pressure on all sides, two of said strarfls being T-shaped, and the third strand being double T-shaped, such strands being arranged one to another to form four channels between them, lead tubes tightly fitted into the said channels and rubber hoses fitted into said lead tubes, said rubber hoses holding the conductors and leaving moreover sufiicient free air-space.

EUGEN SICH'I'ERMANN. 

